Don't Forget
by arieland
Summary: This short story starts after Season 2, after the bond between Elena and Damon. It picks up right after Katherine left the Salvatore house, and the story mostly centers around Elena and Damon's relationship with other characters involved in the plot. -DISCONTINUED-
1. Denial

"Well, this isn't good." Damon said bitterly, his face still a mix of confusion and a hint of anger.

Elena looked toward him, contemplating what her next action should be. Her mind reeled, thinking about the kiss she had given him. Why did she do it? There seemed to be a growing affection in her heart ready to burst out at any moment and there was nothing she could do to hide it. She swallowed, "Klaus has Stefan."

"That son of a-" Damon's fists tightened.

What did Katherine mean when she told her that Stefan had sacrificed everything, including her? What was Katherine implying when she said "It's okay to love them both"? Elena looked down at her feet. She loved Stefan, she loved him. She loved Damon too, but not the same way she loved Stefan. It was and will always be Stefan.

"You okay?" Damon's voice cut in. Elena looked at him in disbelief. Her?

"I'm fine, Damon. What about you? Is your…?"

Damon pulled up his sleeve and relief seemed to wash over his face, "_Completely_ gone. That thing works wonders."

Elena held up the vial that Katherine had tossed her before she left the room. A deep shade of red liquid was filled up halfway. Blood. Whose was it? She didn't want to know. Elena freed her fingers from the vial by placing it on a wooden table. The sound of the blanket shuffling was made as Damon got out of bed, throwing the covers to the side. He was by her side in an instant.

"We need to find Alaric…and Bonnie." Damon said with a firm voice. Elena could only nod.

"So Bonnie can track Stefan and Klaus down?"

"Yep, time for vampire hunting, some good old fun."

Elena took a step out of the room, but was held back by a strong grip on her arm. "Damon, let me go. We have…to go."

His eyes searched for something in her eyes, something that might give him a sense of reality and affirmation of what had just happened between them before Katherine came in.

"Damon…Please."

"And after all this time…" He said with a murmur. "Thank you, Elena…but was that out of pity? A final goodbye?"

That was not something Elena wanted to talk about now. Perhaps not ever. She shook her head, rubbing the temples of her forehead, "Look, now's not the time Damon. We need to get going."

Realizing that he owed it all to his brother and was only wasting precious time, Damon loosened his hold and Elena exited his room, with him following closely behind as he punched in digits on his phone. Alaric's number.


	2. Track & Burn

"Where is Stefan, and where is Klaus?"

"Well, that's why we're here, Bonnie. So you can use your witchy powers to help us all out." Damon remarked snidely.

"Oh really? Maybe you overestimate me. Maybe I _can't_ help after all." Bonnie glared daggers at him.

Alaric sighed and Elena spread her hands out, separating the both of them over the kitchen table, "You guys, _concentrate_. This is Stefan we're talking about here, okay? Bonnie, do you think you can track _Stefan_ down?"

"Of course, Elena, but then I'd need the materials to do that."

"That's easy. We've got everything Stefan owns, in his bedroom. Let's go." Damon turned to the right but Elena held him back by holding the back of his collar.

"First," Bonnie said, "Because he's a vampire and this requires an extra step, we need a picture of Stefan. Not an old one, but a recent one. I don't want to mess with the past. Second, I need your blood, Damon. The blood of a relative, and your blood only. How long has it been since you've drank?"

There was a pause as all eyes focused on Damon, who finally replied with a shrug, "A day or two."

"Good. Now get two candles and a map and we're set."

Alaric left, heading to the basement to retrieve the items while Elena went to find a photo of Stefan. As usual, there was an air of tension as Damon and Bonnie were left in the kitchen together. They both looked away at the same time, Damon looking up toward Stefan's bedroom and Bonnie out the window.

Before long Elena and Alaric were back with the things they brought with them. Elena tossed the photo to Damon and he caught it with ease, handing it to Bonnie. Alaric set up the two candles and placed the map between them and in front of Bonnie.

"Your blood, Damon." Bonnie instructed.

Damon picked a knife, its tip dangerously sharp. Bringing it down to his arm, droplets of blood fell and stained the map Bonnie had her eyes laid on. The candles lit aflame, illuminating the dark kitchen. Everyone held their breath as Bonnie began working her spell. There was no doubt that she was good and confident in what she was doing. Stefan's photo was placed on top of the map, edges curling up as the spell heated it. Bonnie seemed to be concentrating hard and the magic seemed to be working well.

That was until a strong gust of wind blew and the candles went out within a split second.

"Oh my God. Bonnie? B-Bonnie?" Elena stammered as she shook her best friend by the shoulders, but to no avail. Bonnie had her eyes shut and she seemed to not be moving.

"Damn it. Look at this." Damon snatched up the photo of his brother, which was mostly burnt and shriveled up, "What's this supposed to mean?"

Alaric bent down and peered at the map. The droplets of blood had gathered up on a specific area.

"Atlanta, Georgia." Alaric said.

Elena turned to look at him, eyebrows raised, "Damon and I've been there before. When he-"

"Hell yeah we did." Damon's voice cut in, "Fun times, eh?"

Elena ignored him.

There was a sudden gasp as Bonnie's eyelids flew open, her mouth open in surprise.

"Bonnie! Are you okay?" Elena rushed to her side.

"Yeah. I'm fine, Elena. Well…I don't know. I mean, all of a sudden I felt like I was stuck in my own mind trying to make the spell work. But it didn't, and it took me a while to become conscious again." Bonnie explained.

"Klaus's doing." Damon sneered, "I bet you he got one of his best witches to do some anti tracking spell."

"And tried to get myself stuck in my own mind. Clever." Bonnie muttered.

"But," Elena said reassuringly, "Clearly you are a better witch, Bonnie. At least we know where they are now. All we have to do is head to Georgia. I have a feeling I know who they're looking for."

"Too bad she's dead." Damon smirked.

Elena looked at him questioningly.

"She betrayed me…so I ripped her heart out." Damon shrugged a shoulder.

"Well then, Klaus won't have anyone useful to find. Which means he'll be angry which obviously won't be good and they'll be on the move again, so we'll have to follow them, which won't be an easy cause."

"Obviously."

Alaric and Bonnie exchanged looks, not knowing who Elena and Damon were talking about.

"Mind filling us in?" Alaric suggested.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Bree. She was a…knowledgeable witch. Knew Lexi. Knew about Emily Bennett. Might had known more."

"Right…So the only thing we can do now is-" Bonnie began.

Elena cut in, "Head to Georgia."

"And what about Jeremy?"

"Don't worry Bonnie. Alaric can stay and watch over him. He's back home, asleep. You'll do that, Alaric, please?" Elena looked at Alaric concernedly.

"Yeah, no problem."

"And to Georgia we go. C'mon guys." Damon walked past Alaric and headed toward the garage.

"I'll go get some stuff in case we need to do more spells."

Elena stared at the burnt photo of Stefan that Damon had left on the table. She was worried sick. What had Klaus done to him, exactly? She tore her eyes away from the face she loved and went out to the garage with Damon.

"Just the two of us again, yeah?" Damon said with an evident smile in his tone as Elena caught up to him, "Well, with Bonnie as well."

"No time for jokes, Damon." Elena muttered as she walked up to the car. She could feel Damon's eyes on her back, and knew they were both thinking of the moment they shared together.

This was going to be one hell of a trip.


	3. Becky

_I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the ni-_

Elena pulled back after reaching forwards to turn the radio off.

"Shame, that song's one of my favorites." Damon emphasized.

"We almost there?" Bonnie asked lazily.

"A couple more hours." Damon said, "I'm hungry. Pass me a blood bag."

Giving him a look of distaste, Bonnie tossed him a liquid filled bag that was lying around on the floor of the car. Popping the blood bag open, Damon began to suck on the straw like material, taking in the blood with pleasure.

The ride was long and tedious, but the destination was more important, Elena thought.

The sky above them brightened gradually, the sun glaring down at them. Damon brought the car to a stop and pulled it over to the side. The melodic sounds of birds chirping around them could be heard as the trio stepped out of the vehicle.

"What a happy setting in a distressing situation." Damon said, snarky.

"A bar? Why are we at a bar?" Bonnie shot him a critical look, "We are so not wasting time here."

"Of course we aren't." Damon smirked as he walked past Bonnie, giving her an amused look with his eyes. He pushed the door to the bar open, stepping in to find a new owner dancing around as a group of men roared with laughter and clapped.

The woman looked almost like Bree, with her thick lips and gentle eyes. Damon figured this must be Bree's sister; the younger slimmer sibling. She was as thin as a stick.

"Is that-?" Elena appeared behind Damon, eyeing the dancing woman. Damon's short nod confirmed her suspicion.

"Alright, alright! That's enough. Party's over _lady_ and gentlemen!" Damon threw his hands up in the air to shush the small crowd.

"Who do _you_ think you are?" The woman stopped dancing and sneered at Damon, obviously ticked off at the untimely interruption.

"Your sister's lover." Damon retorted, "Well, was."

His sudden, unexpected proclamation took the woman completely by surprise.

"My sister's dead."

"Damon Salvatore." He offered a hand.

Reluctantly, the woman took it, only to pull back as if something had just shocked her. Vampire. This meant business.

"Right. Party's officially over. Out now." She said as the men groaned and protested, "I said now!"

With slow and sluggish movements, each individual left the bar, and when the last one finally closed the door behind him, Damon shook his head in disapproval for their drunken states had left them looking and acting like swine.

"Becky." The woman introduced herself, "What do you want exactly?" She wasn't going to be friendly. Becky had made a pact to herself not to get too warm with vampires, and yet not too hostile unless she wanted to truly get on the bad side of a bloodsucker. In other words, she stayed neutral when it came to taking sides and only protected herself.

"Well, I'm making a good guess when I say, has anyone been here looking for your older sister?" Damon said with a smirk.

"She's my younger sister."

"Oh…." Damon replied, surprised, "Well, fine. So now, answer…my…question." He approached Becky slowly, knowing that he appeared intimidating. And he was, as well. If Becky did not answer him soon, he'd grab her by that tiny little neck and-

"No! First you have to answer mine!" Becky bared her teeth, tears of fury in her eyes.

"Oh, sorry? Did I hear that right? Because I don't-"

"Who killed Bree? Huh? Was it you? Was it?" Becky seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.

Damon wasn't all too happy either. This was complicating things, "You won't know unless you tell me _who_ has been here and what for! Now get rid of the damn waterworks and give me the information I need so I can save my brother. That, is all I'm asking."

Becky's fists tightened and looking into Damon's eyes, said, "Someone by the name of Klaus. He was looking for my sister because he needed her to help him with things. Things only she knew about. I didn't know anything, so he spared me."

"Was anyone with him?"

"His car was parked outside. There were a few people…or vampires…patrolling about."

"And you're sure you don't know _anything_ about what Klaus wants with your sister?"

"I…I don't know. Bree knew a lot about ancient folklore and myths, and things that are uncommon among witches and vampires. She knew a great deal about hybrids as well. I mean, obviously, it's impossible for a hybrid to exist. But…She believed they existed."

"That's all I need to know now. And how about when they left? Which direction did they head toward?"

"West."

"Good. And in return for your sufficient amount of information…I killed your sister. She betrayed me."

There was a scream of agony as Becky focused hard on Damon, and suddenly Damon felt something bursting in his brain. He collapsed, yelling in pain and Elena bent down, "Damon? Damon!"

"Please, stop it! Stop it!" Elena begged, but to no avail. Becky was now set in vengeance.

"You shall die!" Becky screamed. The door burst open and a gust of wind blew in, making the room chilly. Items in the room flew around, tables turning over and chairs knocking into each other. The windows smacked open, only to be closed again as another force came into contact with Becky's magic.

"B-Bonnie?" Elena looked up at her best friend, but Bonnie was focusing on her own magic, trying to put a stop to Becky's power and Damon's pain.

"Arghh! M-Make it go away!" Damon twisted and turned over, his body coiling up. It was a horrible sight that made Elena's heart seem to squeeze tighter and tighter, her throat closing up and blocking oxygen from passing through.

"You'll be fine, Damon. You'll be fine." Elena said repeatedly, although she was sure she was only trying to convince herself of that.

All of a sudden, the blowing wind and chilliness ceased, and Becky dropped to the floor, exhausted.

"She's unconscious." Bonnie said.

Elena swallowed and nodded, looking back at Damon to see how he was. He seemed to have recovered already as he got back on his own two feet, steadying himself.

"That was fun." He muttered.

"I saved your life." Bonnie smirked.

With slight difficulty, Damon nodded and replied, "And I thank you, very much…and I owe you."

Bonnie smiled in satisfaction, proud yet amused.

"And now we're back to square one." Elena sighed, pushing her hair back in frustration, "We don't know where they could be going, even if we do know they're heading west."

"You know what…Let's look around. See if we can find anything remotely useful to us." Damon suggested, walking over to the back of the counter.

"What can we possibly find useful in a bar?" Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Just _look_." Damon said, annoyed. He went all the way to the back of the bar, and found himself facing a locked door. Trying to break the door down, Damon pushed and kicked with all his might, but his attempts were useless.

"Here. Let me." Bonnie closed her eyes, her hands hovering over the lock. Seconds later, there was a click and the door swung open an inch.

"What's this?" Elena came over, peeking over Bonnie's shoulder.

Without answering, Damon pulled the door open all the way, and the immediately, the world's most horrible smell came blasting up their noses.


	4. A Message From Klaus

A series of cries and groans echoed around the store room as the pungent, rotten smell hit them. Damon simply held his breath after barking out a loud 'Shit!'. Elena and Bonnie nearly gagged and they wrapped pieces of cloth Bonnie had found around their mouths and noses.

"Where the hell is this smell coming from?" Damon said irritably, stepping over fallen pieces of canned food and broken bottles of alcohol. Elena trudged on in front of him, and she lost her footing on a small puddle of spilled liquor. In the blink of an eye there was a _whoosh_ as a strong arm reached out to catch her.

"Careful." Damon murmured, blue eyes searching Elena's brown ones. They were locked in position with Damon bent over Elena. She caught her breath. Everything seemed to stop right there and then. She felt safe. Safe with Damon holding her.

Of course she would. Elena felt safe with any Salvatore brother. With a hasty thanks, she got back on her own two feet. Damon looked away and continued on searching the room as if nothing had happened.

"Store room is big." He noted.

Behind him, Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing here besides broken stuff." Elena said exasperatedly. She caught sight of a large storage container in a dark corner. The putrid smell seemed to be emanating from that area.

"Damon? Bonnie? We better check this out." Slowly, Elena removed the lid of the container. Under the dim light, she could barely make out anything. Damon brightened the lights and the sight before Elena caused her to back off multiple steps, a scream building up in her throat. She had her hand clamped over her mouth, bent over as she tried to regain calmness in her mind. Elena felt sick.

Bonnie seemed no better, her face scrunched up in utter repulsion. Only Damon was still hovering over the container.

"That sick, psychopathic wretch." Damon said and cursed out loud. The severed, decaying body pieces inside were mostly devoid of blood. The only traces of blood were splatters around the walls of the container, dripping slowly. His hand reached in to pick up a torn piece of paper.

"What's that?" Elena said behind him in a strangled voice.

"Dear all," Damon read, "I hope you don't find it too…disheartening when you realize you aren't a step closer to finding us. Let this lovely, dead human be a kind reminder – Oh come on!" Damon was about to tear the paper to pieces.

"Keep reading, Damon!"

"All right, witch. Ahem. Let this lovely, dead human be a kind reminder for you to stop trying to track us down. Stefan is with me now and he shall remain this way until things get done my way. He exchanged himself for Damon's life. Don't forget that. If you don't follow my orders, worse things will happen and that could involve Elena. Regards, Klaus."

"Damn." Bonnie said. There was a long moment of silence before Damon flipped a table over in rage.

"Damon! Damon…" Elena rushed over to him, holding his hands down. "Look. That threat won't stop us. I don't care what Klaus says. We're going after him no matter what and we're saving Stefan."

"But you! You're in danger of-"

"I'm always in danger, Damon. We're doing this for Stefan, whom we both love, okay?"

"And then what?" Bonnie interrupted, "We have no clues whatsoever as to where they are right now."

"You're a witch, Bonnie. You've got magic. Use it."

Damon was met with a glare from Bonnie instead.

"We can figure it out later. Let's get out of here."

A sickly, sinister voice stopped them dead in their tracks.

"I don't think so."


End file.
